M. CHAPOUTIER Cote-Rotie 'Les Becasses' 2018/19 Bottle

Description

The appellation’s name, which would translate into English as “Roasted Slope”, is a reference to the long hours of sunshine which the slopes receive. The Côte-Rôtie vineyard area is certainly one of the oldest in France (over 2,000 years). “Les Bécasses” is a blend of several parcels of Syrah growing on well-exposed slopes, such as La Brocarde, La Viallière, Côte-Rosier, Côte Blonde, Côte Brune, and Les Coteaux de Tupin, which have made the Côte-Rôtie appellation famous. “Les Bécasses” is a lovely synthesis of the Côte-Rôtie appellation. The wine possesses a freshness and a light, floral character unique to the appellation.

Tasting: Deep purplish red in colour. On the nose there are raspberries, a hint of violets, predominantly spicy with rosemary, black olive and tapenade notes, characteristic of the Côte-Rôtie appellation. Ample and deep palate with woody, spicy and vanilla finish.

The grapes are entirely hand-harvested at maturity. After destemming, the grapes go into concrete tanks. Daily punching (pigeage) ensures a good extraction of colour and tannins. The temperature does not exceed 33°C. Fermentation lasts between 3 and 4 weeks depending on the vintage. For fermentation, we decided to use indigenous yeasts to allow our terroirs to begin expressing themselves from this key stage in the winemaking process. Ageing lasts 14-16 months. 80% of the wine is aged in oak barrels with a majority of new wood. The remaining 20% are aged in stainless steel vats which allows us to preserve the purity of the fruit and the floral notes, which are a distinctive feature of great Côte-Rôtie wines.